


Second Hand Mate

by Morethancupcake



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Deaf Clint Barton, Hopeful Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, Mutual Pining, Omega Tony, Rejection, Steve Rogers is a lost puppy, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 11:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5416013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morethancupcake/pseuds/Morethancupcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The bandages had been his idea. The long sleeves too. Tony traces it with the tip of his fingers, before securing the tape, keeping the words away, safe, buried with the first man who ever showed him love and support.</p><p>'Second hand mate.' "</p><p> </p><p>The first words his mate will use to talk about him.<br/>Tony waits for it to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Hand Mate

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever Stony fic, please be gentle.
> 
> From a silly idea I had :
> 
> http://iwanttopizzamanyou.tumblr.com/post/135039858034/hey-im-all-for-the-soulmates-au-with-the-first

He traces it with the tip of his fingers, sometimes.

Jarvis had been the only one to know, opening the door of his bathroom, too worried to care about Tony's orders. It had been a Tuesday, Tony remembers, he used to like Tuesday before.

Jarvis had just hugged him close, all the care of the world in his arms, and Tony had wept.

 

The bandages had been his idea. The long sleeves too. Rhodey had asked, once. Just once.

 

Tony traces it with the tip of his fingers, before securing the tape, keeping the words away, safe, buried with the first man who ever showed him love and support.

 

"Second hand mate."

 

Rhodey had no words. It makes things easier, between them, somehow. Tony feels safe with him, safe enough to one day casually mention his heat.

Howard would refer to him being an Omega as "your condition". 

"Tony, don't forget your condition."

"That's not bad, considering your condition."

It was cold, chirurgical, like most of the things between them now.

 

The night after the funeral, Rhodey sleeps in his bed, and Tony prays for him to confess. For him to admit the hateful words. He wishes for everything.

 

"Second hand mate."

Rhodey stares at his arm, he's like numb.

"I'll kill him, Tones." he says.

It's not what he hoped for, but maybe it's better, in a way.

 

Rhodey is not is mate, but he becomes his friend, his best friend. His only friend.

Sometimes, Tony thinks family.

 

The first time he finally kisses Pepper, he knows, he just knows she's not capable of saying these words, she is too nice, too perfect to ever think something like this. 

Pepper loves him, and he loves her back. 

She's here through everything, she rolls her eyes and confronts him and makes him feel good, alive.

 

He never shows her the words. He knows about her words, he knows they're not meant to be, he knows she's far too good for him, but he won't make her cry, he won't.

 

He's thinking about asking her to marry him, about the house in Italy, and the guests when he notices the way she looks, absent, sad, hopeful. So beautiful.

She cries, when she leaves, and he smiles and tells her to be happy, boss' orders.

He doesn't go to the wedding, obviously. He sends flowers, her favorites, and he goes to Rhodey. They drink on the roof, and they laugh, remembering MIT and their tiny bedroom filled with Tony's papers.

"You remember the night you designed a whole plane before falling asleep on the floor?"

Tony remembers, of course he does. He remembers waking up to find Rhodey putting everything away, keeping it because he was so proud, and it eases the pain in his chest.

"No I don't. Tell me again ?"

 

He never tries to kiss Rhodey, because this, this he can't ever risk.

They both sleep on Tony's bed, and he holds the bucket for his friend, patting his shoulders still half asleep.

 

He looses things, he gains others. Afghanistan made his "condition" clear to the world, he smiles through all of it, laughing at the authorities telling him he's too weak to fight, to volatile.

Tony Stark doesn't play well with others, he knows.

 

He wonders, sometimes, what he must've done for his mate to say this. Maybe he slept with someone they know. It's possible. Maybe they decided to trust the gossip. Maybe they never asked for a broken, metal powered mate.

He is, after all, a second hand omega.

 

He is a genius, too, and it doesn't take much to understand, to notice the grimace on Rogers' face when they're introduced for the first time. Tony is ready to bet "The good Captain" is written on his skin, here, somewhere.

Rogers doesn't say a word, he's polite, cold, and Tony just waits outside, he just waits for it.

It starts with the Initative, obviously. Rogers is raw, and still stuck somewhere between then and now. He doesn't trust, but he's ready to follow order, and Tony wonders if he feels it, too, the pull between them, adding to the stress, because outside the world could possibly be ending, and...

"I never asked for this. Coming back, this new world, and this second hand mate. I never wanted that."

Tony closes his eyes. 

When he opens them, Steve Rogers is nothing more than Captain, he man he'll have to tolerate until he figures out a way out. 

Outside, the world is ending. Rhodey, Pepper, they need to be safe.

He fights, because this, he can do.

 

He opens his eyes, and Banner is still huge. They're around him, smiling, almost... relieved it seems. He keeps his eyes on the good doctor, and he tries to erase Rogers from his mind. 

Because he, too, never asked for this.

 

Clint notices his words, when he reaches for his fries. The bandages are off, his shirt barely here, and Tony just glares at him, he's too tired to do much after all.

Clint is the first to move in, too ready to take a shower and crash, just like him. Natasha hugs them both, to Tony's surprise, and promises to be back soon. They get settled on a floor Tony declares safe for them, and they're too exhausted and sore, too fucking raw to stop and consider how odd it is, for them to share a place.

"Who said that to you ?" Clint is settling on a couch, in the bedroom. Tony wants to argue, wants to point out all the other rooms, but he doesn't. Something is Clint's eyes, maybe.

"Don't."

It's not worth it.

"Don't talk about it."

I'm not worth it.

Clint isn't as dumb as he pretends to be. Far from it. He nods, and goes to his makeshift bed.

In the dark, he says.

"Mine says brilliant with potential." His voices is a little off, the aids Tony thinks. "And he died today."

When Rhodey finally arrives, he doesn't discuss the sleeping arrangement, and just claims the place next to Tony. 

 

Rhodey is the only one who doesn't smile when he meets Captain America. The Press praises him, and his military focus. 

 

Clint doesn't mention it, but when Tony offers them all a place to stay, he doesn't say a word when Rogers chooses to leave.

 

Time passes. And life goes on. SI, and Pepper. Rhodey's phonecalls, and sparring with Natasha. 

It's a good life, he thinks. It's more than what he ever deserved.

 

He still traces it with the tip of his fingers. He wonders, if things could've been different. If he could've changed it, and... He doesn't know what.

When Rogers comes to them, he hides behind his rudeness, and hides behind Bruce and the workshop. 

He learns about a kiss, between him and Natasha.

He tries not to feel anything, he tries.

"Second hand mate." he whispers to himself under the shower. "Second hand mate." he whispers before sleep takes him. 

He knows it by heart, but it still feels like he's been robbed of something, when Rogers smiles.

 

It's not like he's not polite, they have to be after all. They share very little, Tony makes sure they don't have to see each other for weeks, months if he's lucky enough. Tony jokes around him like he would around anyone, he has a lifetime of training, after all.

Rogers sometimes looks lost, but this isn't his problem he supposes.

 

Rhodey swears he'll murder them both his Tony forgives him, and it makes him laugh. 

 

The first time Steve mentions Iron Patriot, and how better he would be in the team, they're fighting, and Tony stops for a second. 

It's just a second, they're back at each other's throat soon enough.

 

But it's enough, somehow.

 

"I'm sorry." Rogers looks young. He is, in a way, but he looks younger now, standing in the workshop, than he did earlier. "Can I... speak to you ?"

"Can I stop you ?"

"Probably not."

His smile is tiny, and warm, and Tony wants to kill him.

 

"I'm sorry. It seems I can't... control myself sometimes. I apologize, I was out of line."

"I've been there." He turns to the screen next to him. "Now excuse me Cap..."

"I need... I need you to understand I am not... doing it on purpose. And maybe..." Tony's silence seems to encourage him, because he steps in, looking out of place, but so damn eager. "Maybe you can admit you've been difficult, too. But we started wrong, and I'm sure we can..."

"Second hand mate." Steve frowns, ready to bark, when Tony adds. "That's on my arm. Been on it since I was fourteen, actually."

 

There's nothing else to say, after that. Tony didn't manage to silence everyone at SI with just his good look. Going to the core, hurt, and let them leave.

Rogers goes back to wherever he came from, and Tony pretends his hands aren't shaking.

 

Peace is nice, it's something Tony could get used to. 

They want to build a team, to make things right and protect this world.

There's no fight when he tells them he won't be part of it. Natasha tries to scares him, but she doesn't try too hard, and it doesn't work on him anymore. They just smile and part.

 

The first time Steve comes over and actually stays, Tony hides in the workshop.

Peace is nice.

 

Steve just stays over, longer and longer. Food starts to appear in Tony's kitchen. He's sure he should revoke the Captain access, keep him to his floor. He shouldn't allow him so close, it could mean anything. 

Obie was a lesson well learned.

Steve doesn't try to talk to him. He sometimes asks Jarvis to tell Tony about the food, and the coffee, and it seems to be enough.

 

The first time they talk, Clint and Agent are clutching at each other, and they both have to leave the room.

"It's amazing." Rogers sounds in awe. Tony guesses the future must still holds a lot of wonder for him, after all.

"Fury is a dead man." he approves.

"No, I mean, what you did." Rogers isn't looking at the elevator like Tony was thinking, but he's looking straight at him. "Clint is lucky to have you as a friend."

Tony laughs, because it's the only thing left to do. 

 

He hides even harder. His room is the only place safe from Cap. He works from his tablet, and hopes for an attack, for something, anything.

The second time, he has too, because Steve is actually touching DUM-E, and it's not something he's comfortable with.

 

"I'm sorry." he says, with the same warm smile. "There's something written on him, and I can't see to be able to read it."

"Yeah. You're not supposed to."

 

He follows him into the kitchen, and maybe it's because of the smile, maybe it's because he's tired, maybe it's because Phil actually called him to thank him, voice still heavy from sleep, but he answers.

"Baby. That's what's on the plaque." He doesn't look when he adds. "That's his words. The first time I referred to him, I called him baby."

 

Steve finds "Son" engraved on YOU's arm by himself. It takes time, but he finds "Kiddo" on Butterfinger's power plaque.

 

Steve leaves him little drawings, stuck on the fridge. Mostly You, Butterfinger and DUM-E going on little adventures. It's stupid, it's stupidly simple, but Tony saves them all.

 

He traces the words, through his shirt, sometimes, when reading them.

 

Rhodey doesn't mention it. He still say he'll murder Steve, but it sounds more like a plea. 

Tony doesn't wish for Rhodey anymore. Except he wishes he was here.

 

"I'm sorry." Steve says one night. It's too late, or too early, and Tony is dragging himself to his room when they meet, in the dark of the hallway. "I'm so sorry, Tony, I..."

"It's fine. Rogers, I mean it. It's fine."

In the morning he wonders if he dreamt it all.

 

"What about Jarvis ?" Tony smiles. Steve is usually silent, on the couch, sketching DUM-E, or reading. It's still pretty weird, to have him here. 

"What about him ?"

"Does he have a word too ?"

 

Steve remembers Jarvis, the real Jarvis, and his arms around him. he remember his old jacket, and the faint smell of orange and tobacco. He remembers being five and telling him "I wish you were my dad. Can you be my dad ?"

He thinks about the word, carefully scratched into one of the pannels. 

"No. Jarvis is different. Aren't you, J ?"

DUM-E suddenly beeps and crashes into the wall.

"I sincerely hope so, Sir."

 

At night, safe into bed, Tony asks.

"Hey J ?"

"Yes Sir ?"

"You know about it, right ? Your word."

"Goodnight Sir."

 

Tony doesn't remember if he ever intended for J to sound so warm.

 

Tony feels like the world is changing. Slowly. So slowly.

Clint and Phil. Rhodey, Pepper. Steve. Everything changes slowly, painfully, until one day he crashes into it.

 

He notices the words on Steve's skin, and for a moment he wants blood.

"Let me explain ?"

In bold letters, close to his real words, "Second Hand Mate" stands, black on his pale skin.

 

"I am. I deserves this. More than you." Tony frowns. He opens his mouth, then closes it. "So it seems like... a good thing to do. To remember. You had a lot of time with them, but I'll learn too."

"It's not the same." it's weak, even to his ears.

"I know. I know, but it's something."

"I deserve it. I am."

"So am I, then."

Steve is stubborn.

Tony is scared.

 

It changes slowly, painfully, slowly, until one night Steve's fingers graze his wrist. He traces the words, with his thumb, and Tony watches.

He traces them with fous, at first, his sole mission in life, learning their shapes and colour, learning the difference on the skin.

He traces them when they sit, watching movies and documentaries, Tony smiling despite himself.

He traces them eyes lost, "I'm sorry" hanging between them.

 

Later he traces them with his lips. 

 

Tony thinks about Rhodey, briefly.

He thinks about Phil, and Clint holding him close, forgetting the anger and the pain.

He thinks about Steve, this Steve waking up alone into this new world.

 

He breathes out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) If you liked the story, please leave kudos or even a comment ! Nice comments are warm gooey coookies to the soul.
> 
> You can find it (and me) on tumblr :)
> 
> http://iwanttopizzamanyou.tumblr.com/post/135108244949/second-hand-mate  
>  
> 
> This is the part where I tell you to drink a little water, stretch and take care of yourself.


End file.
